Tag: John 8:44

The Voices We Follow

Leaning forward, I placed my frozen yogurt on the table and looked into her eyes. “Maggie, I love you and you’ll always be welcome at D-Group, but I guarantee you won’t want to come if you continue down the path you’re on.” My bluntness caught her by surprise and she quickly refuted my prediction, assuring me she’d never stop coming to youth group or meeting with the girls in our Discipleship Group. She was sure she could toggle between the high school party scene and her fragile faith.

I’d met Maggie a year and a half earlier on our church’s annual houseboat trip. She was an incoming freshman brimming with enthusiasm. I was a young, new leader ready to pour into a group of high school girls. Maggie and her best friend were the first ones I met that week and we made an instant connection. The three of us spent a lot of time together that summer. Once school started, we gathered weekly with a group of girls their age to share life and study the Bible. But by the beginning of her sophomore year, other activities began to have more allure to Maggie. Parties and popularity seemed more exciting than youth group, Bible study, and church friends.

Maggie was confused, not sure which voices to heed. She’d tasted enough of God to know He was good, but her parents had never really encouraged her involvement at church. False friends promised fun and excitement that seemed more appealing than the solid and stable lives of the Christians who cared about her. In the years that followed, Maggie popped in and out of my life less and less. She was always invited and included in our group’s activities, but rarely came. It saddened me to learn that this funny, talented, bright-eyed girl later struggled through addiction and a string of bad relationships.

Like many of us, Maggie had a lot of voices speaking into her life, but she didn’t know which ones to trust or follow. Sadly, she’d been exposed to biblical truth, but strayed further and further from Jesus as deceptive voices lured her down other paths. Her story exemplifies Megan Fate Marshman’s description of the cycle of shame: “In our fallen world, we are being bombarded with lying voices at every turn…Theses voices convince us that we are unacceptable…pushing us to respond through hiding and blame. These shame responses lead us into further isolation, as we choose to close God and others out, believing we can only trust in ourselves. This creates space for greater lies to reign in our hearts. The only way we can truly combat these lies is allowing God and his powerful voice of truth in.” (page 31)

Jesus shows us the alternative to this in John 10 when He describes Himself as a shepherd who lovingly leads His flock: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28, NIV)

Listening to Jesus and following Him sounds simple, but with so many voices clamoring for our attention, it’s not always easy to know which ones to ignore. I think that’s where things went sideways for Maggie—she listened to the loudest voices rather than evaluating which ones truly wanted the best for her.

Earlier in John 10 Jesus explains “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:9-10, NIV). Megan explains, “Like a thief, these voices hope to force their way into the Inner You. It takes an active heart not to receive them.” (page 31) The most dangerous thief we’ll ever encounter is the devil. Although he can’t snatch us from God’s hands, he’ll do whatever he can to steal our joy, kill our hope, and sabotage our faith.  In another passage, Jesus describes the devil by saying, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b, NIV)

So how do we differentiate between the loving voice of our shepherd, the deceitful voice of the devil, and the unreliable voice of the world? Without a doubt, the best way is by evaluating what those voices are telling us in comparison to the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Studying the Bible consistently is critical.

Discerning between these three voices also requires thought and prayer. A few years ago, someone gave me a printed guide that helps me to recognize what voices to follow based on the tone, motive, and character of the messages I’m hearing. Over time, I’ve added on to the guide as I’ve had experiences with the different voices. I’ve included it below to help you tune your ear to the voice of the Shepherd over all others.

God’s Tone of Voice: Soothing, quieting, peaceful, encouraging, inspiring, grace-filled, reassuring, forgiving, gentle, loving, kind, hopeful, patient, joyful, respectfulSatan’s Tone of Voice: Insistent, demanding, rash, accusing, defeating, discouraging, doubt-inducing, pride-building, vengeful, bitter, self-centered, critical, negativeThe World’s Tone of Voice: Comparison focused, fearful of what others think, bases value on exterior qualities, struggles with wanting to measure up, stirs up insecurity
God’s Motives/ Character: 
Builds relationships, empowers us to do what is right, gives us courage, provides wisdom, gives peace, stretches us and challenges us to grow, reassures us, convicts to bring positive and healthy changes, offers grace, understands, forgives, promotes truth		Satan’s Motives/ Character: 
Destroys, deceives, accuses, divides, isolates, turns people away from God, induces guilt, creates self-loathing, capitalizes on doubts and insecurities, exaggerates faults, magnifies misunderstandings, makes sin appealing and acceptable		The World’s Motives/ Character: 
Pleases people to gain acceptance, works to fit into the “right” mold, satisfies self, looks out for self, judges & compares self and others, pursues comfort and convenience, avoids hard things, keeps up appearances, bases values and standards on popular opinion

Take a moment to consider this list. Use it to ponder Megan’s questions: “How have you seen lying voices push you or others into a Cycle of Shame? How can receiving God’s voice into the Inner You help to combat this cycle?”

Reject the enemy’s lies and remember the truth of who you are in Christ by listening to “My Testimony” by Elevation Worship.

Megan Fate Marshman, Meant for Good: The Adventure of Trusting God & His Plans for You, Zondervan, 2020.

Image from pixabay.com

The Allure of Sun and Sin

Grasping a small fan in one hand and an ice pack in the other, I closed my eyes behind protective goggles and prepared for the moment I’d been dreading. The medical assistant reassured me that she’d be back shortly to check on me before switching on the blue light and leaving the room. Within seconds, a burning sensation in my face told me the U-shaped light bulbs were doing their job. It was my first experience with Photodynamic Therapy, a treatment designed to attack pre-cancerous lesions on my face caused by years of exposure to the sun.

Perched on a stool in front of the light, I thought back to a conversation I’d had on the rooftop of a houseboat years earlier. I was in my mid-twenties serving as a leader with our church youth group. Lounging in the sun with the high school girls on my boat, we joked about how tanning had some similarities to sin– it felt and looked great, even though we knew it was bad for us. The short-term pleasure of basking in the sun and bronzing our bodies seemed to eclipse the long-term damage we knew we were causing to our skin.

So, as I was healing from my PDT procedure, I realized how much more cautious I’ve been about being in the sun since discovering the damage I’d done over the years. In the last ten months, I’ve had three different types of procedures at the dermatologist to deal with it. The pain, effort, and inconvenience they’ve caused have motivated me to be more vigilant about protecting my skin.

And just like the attraction of tanning, the enticement for instant gratification from sinful behaviors often blinds us to the long-term consequences. When we don’t see any immediate negative results from our sins, we assume they must not be all that bad. We have no idea of the hidden destruction they’re causing.

This has been made more challenging in our world today because sin is often encouraged and celebrated. Consider the lyrics of a hit song from a few years ago:

I, feel something so right doing the wrong thing
I, feel something so wrong doing the right thing…
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive *

Because of the fun beat and catchy tune, I’ve sung along countless times without ever thinking about the negative message the lyrics reinforce. The point here isn’t to criticize the song or the band, but to illustrate how the allure of sin draws us in and makes us think the ease and pleasure of doing the wrong thing is worth it, whatever the consequences.

One of the first times we witness a person deciding between sin and righteousness happens in Genesis 4 after Cain and Abel make their sacrifices to the LORD. Scripture tells us:

The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:4b-7)

If you remember the story, you know that Cain decided to let sin be his master. Instead of moving past his hurt, he let anger and jealousy toward his brother goad him into murder. Consequently, the ground that absorbed Abel’s blood would no longer yield crops for him. After this, Cain was cursed to be a restless wanderer for the remainder of his life.

Just like Cain, sin is eager to control us and the enemy is equally enthusiastic about deceiving us into thinking this is perfectly fine. Jesus describes the devil this way: “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NLT)

Followers of Jesus need not fall for the lies and deception of the enemy because sin has no power over us. Paul explains:

“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin…For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:4-7,23 NLT)

Don’t be deceived into thinking the temporary pleasure of sin is worth the consequences. The damage it causes isn’t always obvious or immediate, but there are many hidden, insidious side effects that hurt us and those we love. Worse still, unconfessed sin pus a barrier between us and our loving, holy God. Beyond this, it distracts us from the truth and derails us from living with meaning, impact, and fulfillment.

Jesus died to set us free from sin’s power over our lives. Think of the Bible as your spiritual sunscreen. You can arm yourself from being deceived by consistently studying the truth contained in it. Then like the Psalmist, you can say, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 NLT).

Listen to Jonny Diaz’s song “Define Me” for an inspiring reminder about how to fight against lies that lead us to sin.

*Lyrics excerpted from “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic

Following the Shepherd’s Voice

Leaning forward, I placed my frozen yogurt on the table and looked into her eyes. “Maggie, I love you and you will always be welcome at D-Group, but I guarantee you won’t want to come if you continue down the path you’re on.” My bluntness caught her by surprise and she quickly refuted my prediction, assuring me she’d never stop coming to youth group or meeting with the girls in our Discipleship Group. She was sure she could toggle between the high school party scene and her fragile faith.

I’d met Maggie a year and a half earlier on our church’s annual houseboat trip. She was an incoming freshman brimming with enthusiasm. I was a young, new leader ready to pour into a group of high school girls. Maggie and her best friend were the first ones I met that week and we made an instant connection. The three of us spent a lot of time together that summer. Once school started, we gathered weekly with a group of girls their age to share life and study the Bible. But by the beginning of her sophomore year, other activities began to have more allure to Maggie. Parties and popularity seemed more shiny and exciting than youth group, Bible study, and church friends.

Maggie was confused, not sure which voices to heed. She’d tasted enough of God at youth group to know He was good, but her parents had never really encouraged her involvement there. False friends promised fun and excitement that seemed more appealing than the solid and stable lives of the Christians who cared about her. In the years that followed, Maggie popped in and out of my life less and less. She was always invited and included in our group’s activities, but rarely came. It saddened me to learn that this funny, talented, bright-eyed girl later struggled through addiction and a string of bad relationships.

Like many of us, Maggie had a lot of voices speaking into her life and she didn’t know which ones to trust and follow. Sadly, she’d been exposed to Biblical truth, but strayed further and further from Jesus as deceptive voices lured her down other paths.

I pictured Maggie as I read Jesus’ words in John 10 this week. In the passage, He describes Himself as a shepherd who lovingly leads His flock: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28, NIV)

Listening to Jesus and following Him sounds simple, but with so many voices clamoring for our attention, it’s not always easy to know which ones to ignore. I think that’s where things went sideways for Maggie—she listened to the loudest voices rather than evaluating which ones truly cared for her.

Earlier in John 10 Jesus explains “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:9-10, NIV). The most dangerous thief we’ll ever encounter is the devil. Although he can’t snatch us from God’s hands, he’ll do whatever he can to steal our joy, kill our hope, and sabotage our faith.  In another passage, Jesus describes the devil by saying, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b, NIV)

So how do we differentiate between the loving voice of our shepherd, the deceitful voice of the devil, and the unreliable voice of the world? Without a doubt, the best way is by evaluating what those voices are telling us in comparison to the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Studying the Bible consistently is critical.

Discerning between these three voices also requires thought and prayer. A few years ago, someone gave me a printed guide that helps me to recognize what voices to follow based on the tone, motive, and character of the messages I’m hearing. Over time, I’ve added on to the guide as I’ve had experiences with the different voices. I’ve included it below to help you tune your ear to the voice of the Shepherd over all others.

God’s Tone of Voice: Soothing, quieting, peaceful, encouraging, inspiring

Satan’s Tone of Voice: Insistent, demanding, hurried, mesmerizing, rash, accusing, defeating, discouraging, doubt-inducing, pride-building, vengeful, bitter, self-centered, critical, negative

The World’s Tone of Voice: Comparison focused, fearful of what others think, bases value on exterior qualities, struggles with wanting to measure up, stirs up insecurity

God’s Motives/ Character: Builds relationships, empowers us to do what is right, gives us courage, provides wisdom, gives peace, stretches us and challenges us to grow, reassures us, convicts to bring positive and healthy changes, offers grace, understands, forgives

Satan’s Motives/ Character: Destroys, deceives, accuses, divides, isolates, turns people away from God, induces guilt, creates self-loathing, capitalizes on doubts and insecurities, exaggerates faults, magnifies misunderstandings, makes sin appealing and acceptable

The World’s Motives/ Character: Pleases people to gain acceptance, works hard to fit into the right mold, satisfies self, looks out for self above all else, judges/compares self and others, does what is comfortable and convenient, avoids hard things, keeps up appearances, bases values and standards on popular opinion

Lysa TerKeurst, Finding I Am: How Jesus Fully Satisfies the Cry of Your Heart, Lifeway Press, 2016.

Straining Out Truth From Lies

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Nehemiah was an impressive man with a singular focus.  One of the things I most respect about him was his ability to discern truth from lies quickly and not to second-guess himself or God.  In Nehemiah chapter 6 his enemies hatch a scheme to derail him while he leads the people of Jerusalem in their wall re-building efforts.  The three schemers, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem repeatedly send messengers asking Nehemiah to stop work to come and meet with them.   When he refuses, they finally fabricate a lie to strike fear in him.  They write and tell him there are rumors that he is planning a revolt and offer to “confer together” with him.  I love Nehemiah’s response:  “I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.’”  (Nehemiah 6:8)  Nehemiah goes on to explain:  “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’  But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.’”  (Nehemiah 6:9)

Nehemiah saw the lie for what it was and didn’t let it upset him.  He didn’t lose his focus or spend time fretting over what other people might be thinking about him.  He didn’t worry about politics because he knew he was doing the right thing and that he had the king’s support.   His only response to their threat was to pray for strength and continue building.

Nehemiah’s story gives a great example for what Satan often does in our lives.  Sometimes we are working steadily toward accomplishing God’s call for us when Satan slips in and sows seeds of deception to get us off track.  Sometimes he uses other people, as he did with Nehemiah, and sometimes he uses our own doubts and insecurities.

We see a clear example of this in the New Testament in a conversation between Jesus and Peter:

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.  Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’  Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’”  (Matthew 16:21-23)

Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends, but Jesus recognized Satan was using him. Peter’s words were dissuading Him from carrying out the very purpose for which He came to earth: to suffer and die for the sins of all people.  Although Peter didn’t understand his error, Jesus recognized that his friend’s “supportive” words were actually clouding His focus.

Jesus knew well that lies and deception came from one source.  In an earlier exchange He has with a group of Jews who refuse to accept Him He says:  “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Both Jesus and Nehemiah immediately recognized Satan’s attempts to distract them from God’s goals for them.  Satan isn’t very creative and tends to grab from the same bag of tricks to derail us over and over again. The best way we can arm ourselves from falling for his lies is by knowing the truth of God’s word and having our gaze singularly focused on Him.  Satan wants nothing more than to render us ineffective by succumbing to our weaknesses and insecurities.  Lukewarm, complacent, insecure Christians rarely make an impact for the kingdom of God.

Our best defense against believing lies is being able to recognize God’s voice.  This happens when we spend time with Him and in His word consistently.  Jesus explains this using the metaphor of a shepherd (God) and His flock (us):  “The gatekeeper [shepherd] opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  (John 10:3-5)

There are many times in my life when I haven’t stopped to think about the voices I’m hearing.  Without God’s wisdom and discernment, I easily fall prey to Satan’s lies.  One of the fastest ways he does this is by causing me to focus on myself.  When I wallow in my feelings of inadequacy and insecurity I prevent myself from being used effectively for God’s purposes.  When I find my confidence in Christ and focus on God and what He can do through me, He moves in my life in powerful ways.  This can be as simple as taking my eyes off myself to smile at a stranger or as involved as saying “yes” to a ministry opportunity that is going to stretch me beyond my comfort zone.

A few years ago I attended a silent retreat sponsored through our church.  Included in the materials was a handout called “Three Voices” that provided wisdom for discerning between God’s voice, Satan’s voice and the world’s voice.  It has been like a spiritual and mental strainer for my mind.   All the internal and external voices I hear throughout the day get filtered through it.  I hold onto the voices containing God’s truth and discard the rest.  Over time, I’ve added to the list through my own experiences and observations.  I hope you’ll find it a useful tool as you learn to strain out truth and let the lies wash away.

Three Voices:

God’s Tone of Voice is:  soothing, quieting, peaceful, encouraging, invigorating, inspiring

Satan’s Tone of Voice is:  insistent, demanding, mesmerizing, hurried, rash, accusing, discouraging, doubt-producing, pride-building, vengeful, selfish, self-centered, critical, negative, defeating

The World’s Tone of Voice:  agrees with the world’s standards and attitudes, is driven to be accepted and acceptable, lets the culture set personal standards, compares self to others, believes we are what the world says, is fearful of what others think, seeks value in exterior and measurable qualities, constantly struggles to “measure up”

God’s Motives and Character:  builds relationships, empowers us, give us courage, provides wisdom, gives peace, stretches and challenges us, reassures us, convicts us to bring positive and healthy changes, offers grace, understands, forgives

Satan’s Motives and Character:  destroys, deceives, accuses, divides, isolates, turns people away form God, lies, makes us feel guilty, creates self-loathing, capitalizes on insecurities and doubts, exaggerates faults, magnifies misunderstandings

The World’s Motives and Character:  to please people, to fit in, to satisfy self, to look out for self, to judge self and others, to compare self to others

As you ponder the voices in your own life, let the verses below encourage you:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  –Romans 12:2

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” –Philippians 1:9-11

Click on the link below to hear Jason Gray’s song “Remind Me Who I Am.”  It’s a great encouragement to keep our minds fixed on God’s truth and not to believe the lies that assault us throughout the day.